Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, and his accompanying delegation met at the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, on 11/5/2012, Mr. Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to strengthen the relationship between Iraq and the EU after the signing of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the two sides to be the new foundation to build future relations with Europe which covers the different aspects and establish a real partnership to contribute to the achievement of cooperation between the two sides.

Mr. Barroso said, during the meeting, that this historic agreement is a recognition of the international community that the new Iraq has regained the international community trust by the ongoing political process in it, and that after the Arab Summit in Baghdad and Iraq's hosting the 5 +1 group meeting in Baghdad on 23/5 / 2012, Iraq has become a key player in maintaining security and stability in this vital region of the world.

The meeting also dealt with the importance of cooperation between Iraq and EU in energy field and to engage in long-term strategic cooperation between the two sides in this area.